Going back to some roots. Parents used to play Fleetwood Mac throughout the house. Definitely influenced me after I picked up sticks. Not only a well versed, musical drummer...thoughtful of every studio application and worldbeat influence, he is a terrific showman.

I can't. believe it I just did a thread search and this is the only thread on Mick Fleetwood.just goes to show why I think he is one of the most underrated drummers period.he's dynamics,technique & style is like no other drummer out there plus he had a little affair with Stevie Nicks back when she was still hot.If you listen to any of the Peter Green Fleetwood Mac they had a more raw sound then some of the wishey-washey stuff he did with Lynsey & Stevie.

If you listen to any of the Peter Green Fleetwood Mac they had a more raw sound then some of the wishey-washey stuff he did with Lynsey & Stevie.

Mick & John McVie were an incredibly tight drums & bass team. "Then Play On" is one of my favorite albums. When I heard "Rattlesnake Shake" I couldn't believe that was the same drummer who played "Don't Stop."

Mick played his part, held down the time & for the most part stayed out of the way. He let their tunes speak for themselves. A perfect example of knowing when to use it... It took me a while to appreciate that.

As to why he only has 6 posts, well 7 now, the groove that fleetwood mac had was so good its almost easy not to notice that its there.

Simple, musical, parts that were important to FW's music in the same way Ringo's playing was to the Beatles. We who play pop and rock have probably unknowinglt been influenced by his parts and playing.

I found it very interesting that in a trade mag interview he stated something to the fact that he couldn't be relied upon to do the exact part in the studio twice. His stuff was in the moment although he would never have survived as a true studio, gun for hire.

When I was absolutely first learning how to play, I always thought of Mick Fleetwood when I was about to do fills. He was the first (really only drummer) I watched extensively in my development due to my Mom having The Dance on VHS. He's always going to hold a special place for me.

I have struggled with covering the drum parts on every FM tune that I have ever played.
Mick is truly unique.

You are absolutely correct. And he is a blast to watch live. I also have The Dance DVD and play it quite often. I love when they play Tusk and Don't Stop with the USC marching band and there are over a hundred percussion and brass musicians playing along with Mick when he gets up and smacks the gong!

I wonder if anyone can point me in the right direction with this Mick Fleetwood based question...

I've been trying to get my head around the tom part on 'You Make Loving Fun' but cannot figure out how he's keeping the high hat going while playing the toms during the chorus part. Is Mick playing left handed during some of his drum parts? It's like he's playing the quarter notes on the high-hat in 4/4, playing the snare on beat 4, but then there are these tom quarter fills in bars 2 and 4 while he keeps up the high-hat, if that makes sense (i'm new to explaining drum parts). I keep thinking it's a great piece of drumming.

Am I thinking along the right lines of what he might be doing? It seems complicated for a novice like me, all this swapping hands.

I love his drumming and the drum sound in Rumours...I always thought how tight the rhythm section was when I heard "Dreams"...the locking of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood ...however in the book 'making of Rumours' written by their engineer Ken Callait , says, he recorded a 4 bar loop of it and played it over and over....

I've been trying to get my head around the tom part on 'You Make Loving Fun' but cannot figure out how he's keeping the high hat going while playing the toms during the chorus part. Is Mick playing left handed during some of his drum parts? It's like he's playing the quarter notes on the high-hat in 4/4, playing the snare on beat 4, but then there are these tom quarter fills in bars 2 and 4 while he keeps up the high-hat, if that makes sense (i'm new to explaining drum parts). I keep thinking it's a great piece of drumming.

Am I thinking along the right lines of what he might be doing? It seems complicated for a novice like me, all this swapping hands.

Cheers

DO you mean the part strating at 0:51 here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssXFJ1ZKsQg
It sounds like he plays right through on hats, snare, bass drum.
The 'toms' part (if they even are toms) sound to me like another percussive instrument overdubbed.

I can't. believe it I just did a thread search and this is the only thread on Mick Fleetwood.just goes to show why I think he is one of the most underrated drummers period.he's dynamics,technique & style is like no other drummer out there plus he had a little affair with Stevie Nicks back when she was still hot.If you listen to any of the Peter Green Fleetwood Mac they had a more raw sound then some of the wishey-washey stuff he did with Lynsey & Stevie.

I wonder if anyone can point me in the right direction with this Mick Fleetwood based question...

I've been trying to get my head around the tom part on 'You Make Loving Fun' but cannot figure out how he's keeping the high hat going while playing the toms during the chorus part. Is Mick playing left handed during some of his drum parts? It's like he's playing the quarter notes on the high-hat in 4/4, playing the snare on beat 4, but then there are these tom quarter fills in bars 2 and 4 while he keeps up the high-hat, if that makes sense (i'm new to explaining drum parts). I keep thinking it's a great piece of drumming.

Am I thinking along the right lines of what he might be doing? It seems complicated for a novice like me, all this swapping hands.

Cheers

Mick has very long arms. It would seem to me he's just playing the hi-hat with his right hand and his left is going from snare to toms simply by reaching under his right arm. He's got more reach than the average guy, and he's done this on other songs.

However:

Quote:

Originally Posted by opentune

DO you mean the part strating at 0:51 here? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssXFJ1ZKsQg
It sounds like he plays right through on hats, snare, bass drum.
The 'toms' part (if they even are toms) sound to me like another percussive instrument overdubbed.

Other live versions are similar, in that he's just not playing the toms as on the record.

Most of Rumor was made by layer-ing track after track on top of each other, abet mostly in the guitar and vocal department.

And if you read Mick's autobiography, he often talks about doing whatever it takes in the studio to make a song happen, and he also talks about his love of drum ensembles. So over dubs and blending of different drums parts together to make one drum track is not out of the question for him.

Thanks for the replies. It is the part starting around 0.51 on the Youtube vid. Someone said he wasn't playing this part on an earlier recording, I noticed that also. Watching the few later concert videos it's difficult to tell what he's doing, mainly because the cameras focus is on Christine Perfect most of the time...don't mind that though ;-)

Do you chaps think that this is more likely to be an overdub then? I've tried it open handed but my technique isn't that great. It kind of works to keep the hi-hat going but is difficult to change to and from left to right hand. Mind you, if Mick isn't doing it then it's probably not worth doing.

FWIW, when I play this song I play open handed. I find it so much easier to replicate the feel of that tom part when playing open. I also play Rhiannon open handed, although on the original recording it doesn't always sound like he's playing the hat anyway. The cymbals in general are really subdued on that tune, so I play eighth noted very quietly just to provide a good pulse. It works for the bands I've played with.

Thanks for the replies. It is the part starting around 0.51 on the Youtube vid. Someone said he wasn't playing this part on an earlier recording, I noticed that also. Watching the few later concert videos it's difficult to tell what he's doing, mainly because the cameras focus is on Christine Perfect most of the time...don't mind that though ;-)

Do you chaps think that this is more likely to be an overdub then? I've tried it open handed but my technique isn't that great. It kind of works to keep the hi-hat going but is difficult to change to and from left to right hand. Mind you, if Mick isn't doing it then it's probably not worth doing.

Its clearly an overdub, at least he was being honest about it. Just think if he dipped the HH fader under the tom fill sections.

If I were playing it, I'd either ditch the eighths on the hats altogether......the toms are by far the most prevalent voice during that section......or just use my left foot to chick out the eighths (or even quarters.....whatever sounded best) if I really thought the hi hat pulse was lacking.

Punters sure as hell won't notice, so it'll come down to what you're more comfortable with or feel sounds the best.

If I were playing it, I'd either ditch the eighths on the hats altogether......the toms are by far the most prevalent voice during that section......or just use my left foot to chick out the eighths (or even quarters.....whatever sounded best) if I really thought the hi hat pulse was lacking.

Punters sure as hell won't notice, so it'll come down to what you're more comfortable with or feel sounds the best.

Totally agree with this. I saw one cover that wasn't very good as the guy is playing over the original track so you can't tell exactly what he's playing. Anyway, he was definitely using left foot to click out the hi-hat 8th notes. It sounded cool like that.

Ditching the hi-hat though is probably easiest unless you can play open handed well enough (I can't). I would be loath to loose the tom part is it does add a lot. Much prefer the later versions of You Make Loving Fun.

And if you read Mick's autobiography, he often talks about doing whatever it takes in the studio to make a song happen, and he also talks about his love of drum ensembles. So over dubs and blending of different drums parts together to make one drum track is not out of the question for him.

Its an excellent autobio. I've read a few by drummers and his is right up there. Totally honest about his playing, including handicaps, and his addictive ones as well.

And yes, I think he mentions in there how they did 150 takes of one instrument for something on Rumours...he admits the total excess of the 70's, and the influence of drugs on this kind of decision making. They ended up keeping track #4 (out of 150).

Mick Fleetwood has been promoted in my list from one of my favourites, to my favourite.

I have seen better, yes, Jim Chapin and Carl Palmer stand out as live act I have seen. On video and records, Copeland, Portnoy, Buddy Rich and many others may be technically better of course it is subjective and I am sure there are threads a million miles long arguing their points!

But for me, there is something very simplistic and precise that I like about Fleetwood. He goes around the kit so nicely (you make loving fun) there is a weird off on off snare rhythm in little lies that he literally uses once but it is so effective. Sisters of the Moon, an apparently random Yet fitting sd rhythm, Sara, lovely brushwork.

Also, he just comes off as a really really nice (and slightly eccentric) gent.

Well thats all for me, I can't wait too see Fleetwood Mac next year (my third time) great band, great musicians and a wonderful ( in my opinion) drummer.

Love this video but the real Groove Master here was Stevie Nicks:http://youtu.be/XoMWa3jRtLo?t=1m30s
whose masterful use of the guiro as a percussion accent was only surpassed decades later by the Master of Cowbell himself, Will Ferrell (who could have helped out in this FM song as well).
Guiro & Cowbell together on one British rock tune? Priceless.

Just ran across this 'mini-documentary' accidentally on youtube, because I too am trying to figure out how to play a couple of Mac songs.

But back to the video. A very cool John Good step by step process of creating a kit, literally from the beginning, specifically with Mick in mind. It get's into the details with materials and shell size.

Mick Fleetwood is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite drummers to watch - right up there with Ronnie tutt, who at 77 years of age is still playing night after night on the drums with Neil Diamond since 1980.

I absolutely adore, "The Dance" DVD! Stevie Nicks is H-O-T and Mick is awesome on the drums!! I love the interplay between he and Lindsey Buckingham before Lindsey does, "My Little Demon"!!!

As far as his height, I believe that Mick is around 6' 7" - would that be correct?